By Emmanuella Opara Isioma | October 12th 2026
KEY POINTS
- -The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged supporters to remain calm after its Cross River governorship candidate was omitted from INEC’s final list.
- -The party attributed the omission to a bureaucratic error and said it was being addressed.
- -Cross River NDC chairman Goddie Akpama said the party expected the issue to be resolved within the week.
- -INEC’s published list included candidates from eight political parties for the February 6, 2027 governorship election, while the NDC and African Democratic Congress (ADC) were absent.
MAIN STORY
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on its supporters in Cross River State to remain calm following the omission of its governorship candidate from the final list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party attributed the omission to a bureaucratic error and expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved within the week.
Goddie Akpama, the NDC chairman in Cross River, said on Sunday that the party had contacted relevant authorities, including its national secretariat, and had been assured that efforts were underway to address the issue.
“We have since contacted the relevant authorities, including our national secretariat, over the issue and have been told that it is being sorted out.
“I can assure you that all this will be resolved this week; we will have our candidate back on the list,” Akpama said.
INEC released its final list of candidates on Saturday ahead of the Cross River governorship election scheduled for February 6, 2027. The list featured candidates from eight political parties.
They are the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Peoples Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Labour Party (LP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) was also absent from the list.
Akpama urged NDC supporters to continue campaigning for all the party’s candidates, including its governorship candidate, and to concentrate on communicating the party’s message across the state.
THE ISSUES
The omission has left the NDC’s participation in the Cross River governorship race uncertain pending the resolution of the issue. Although the party has described the matter as a bureaucratic error, it has not provided further details about how the omission occurred.
The party’s assurance that the matter would be resolved within the week reflects its expectation that its candidate would be restored to the list. However, the report does not confirm that INEC has agreed to make the change.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“We have since contacted the relevant authorities, including our national secretariat, over the issue and have been told that it is being sorted out.”
“I can assure you that all this will be resolved this week; we will have our candidate back on the list.”
WHAT’S NEXT
The NDC expects the omission to be resolved within the week. The next development will be whether INEC addresses the issue and includes the party’s governorship candidate on the list.
BOTTOM LINE
The NDC has urged supporters to remain calm and continue campaigning after its Cross River governorship candidate was omitted from INEC’s final list. The party blames a bureaucratic error and expects the matter to be resolved, but the report does not confirm any change by the electoral commission.
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